If Only She Had Left A Message
by Ronhermione13
Summary: This is what would have happened if Veronica had left a message on Logan's voicemail during Leave it to Beaver. Everything would have been different. Spoilers up to 1X22! COMPLETE!
1. Default Chapter

A/N: This is what I think would happen if Veronica would have left a message on Logan's voice mail during "Leave it to Beaver", which she should have done! This is only the first chapter, there will be more. I promise.

If Only She Had Left a Message

_Aaron Echolls._

_How could she have slept with Logan's father? How? How could she cheat on someone who loved her so much? Logan...Oh god, what is he going to do when he finds out? _It was ironic how, even in light of recent events her mind always came back to Logan. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number with numb fingers. She was disheartened when his voicemail came on. She took the phone from her ear and stared at the button that said clearly in red "END". She had half a mind to hang-up and let him find out over the news or by a call from Trina explaining why their father was in prison…but…when she thought back to what he'd said at the beach she couldn't force herself to push the button._ I blamed him for killing the only person he truly loved. I can't believe I was so stupid. _His words floated through her mind and that's what kept her from walking straight to her car. _He deserves to know…he deserves to hear it from me…so I can apologize. _She looked around to make sure no one was looking and ducked behind a large tree.

Logan heard the phone ring, but it didn't matter. It was not as if _anything_ mattered anymore. His girlfriend was dead, his mother was dead, his father abused him, and now as if things couldn't have gotten any worse, the person who he thought he could always count on, who would always be there, the person for which he had given up his status, his reputation, and most of his friends (including Duncan), the person who he thought he could have loved, thought he killed Lilly and hated him for it. _What is there left for me here? Why do I go on living? What's the point? _His toes lingered over the edge and he nearly fell over into the dark ocean. He wasn't drunk, in fact, he was seeing more clearly than he had his entire life. _I could end things, I could stop the pain that I feel. I could just jump. _

"Leave a message after the beep."

"Logan, it's me Veronica. I have something to tell you…it's something that you probably don't want to hear, but you have to know. Just please, I know I was a complete jerk, but this is important. Please don't make me say this to your voicemail." She begged through the phone. "I know you're there, please pick up, then you can go back to hating my guts." _It almost hurt to say those words, _she thought.

"I don't care what you have to say," he said unmoving from his spot looking over into the abyss. "It's not like it's going to change anything."

She took a deep breath and began whispering into the phone while looking behind her to make sure no one was listening. "Okay, fine. You have every right not to talk to me, but the least you can do is listen. The other night when I left the pool house when you went to go get drinks, I didn't leave because I was afraid of where we were 'going'. I found a video camera in the ceiling fan, and well…I thought it was yours."

He turned around and jumped down of the ledge and sat in his car not bothering to touch the phone._ Okay, Veronica you've got my attention. _But whatever it was he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. It was too hard. The hurt still lingered inside him, and talking to her would only make it ten times worse. So he settled on listening intently to what she had to say.

"But now I know it wasn't, and I'm so sorry I even thought for a moment that I couldn't trust you." She was hurry to add. "Well, 'Beaver' told me about how your alibi didn't hold up, and it seemed to me, and my father, that you had killed Lilly. All the evidence added up to that conclusion. Then when you told me about the letter, I had to see it. Deep down I wanted to prove you were innocent, and that seemed the only way to." She was rambling and she knew it, but it felt good to get it all out. Now to the hard part. "So I checked Lilly's air vents, and um….I found tapes there, but no letter. Duncan and I watched them and…….please Logan pick up…." She begged.

_So this has to do with Lilly _he thought. But he was too entranced in what she was saying to reach over and pick up the phone.

She didn't hear anything so she went on. "We watched them and it showed Lilly looking up into a camera in a fan. The same way I did. The date on the tape was the same as the day she died. We watched another from a few days earlier, and….it showed Lilly and….well you are going to find this out either way….it was a sex-tape of Lilly and your father." She paused for a second to let the shocking news soak in. "Apparently, they were having an affair when she found out about the tapes, took them and hid them in the vent. Aaron asked for them back and she said no. He went crazy and…well… killed her."

Logan sat there in disbelief. He felt as if he was going to throw up. Not a word escaped his lips, but his mind was working in overtime. Lilly had always wanted to disobey her parents, and he must've been perfect, more so than Weevil. At least sleeping with him was legal. It all made sense.

"I'm so sorry Logan. I'm sorry for assuming it was you. Please forgive me. And I'm sorry Lilly was cheating on you with your scumbag father. I'm sorry I got you arrested, and I'm sorry I was such a bitch." She wiped a lone tear from her cheek. "I'm going home right now; you can come over and watch the tapes with me and my dad. Just so you know I'm not making this up. Logan, please don't do anything stupid. I know how you are feeling. It feels like no one cares about you, but I care about you….and….I just don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I'll never doubt you again. Call me as soon as you can."

She got up and moved to step out from behind the tree when she heard a click on the other line. She stayed where she was. "Logan?"

He took a shaky breath. "Yeah," he whispered. "I…I can't believe it."

Veronica felt a small relief that he had chosen to talk to her instead of hmmm….let's say jumping off a bridge. "Oh god Logan, are you okay?"

He thought about it for a second "Technically, yes."

She felt the tears stinging her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I was just desperate to find out who'd killed her. I was willing to do anything. I do trust you."

"I expected nothing else from you." He muttered solemnly. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Kane Estate."

"Why don't you stay there and I'll come get you?" he asked worried.

"Well, I would, but Aaron is here," she said. It seemed inappropriate to say 'your dad is here' under the circumstances. "I'm leaving right now and I'll call you when I get home. Come by my place later, so I can talk to you." She walked hurriedly to her car, but as she got in she heard motorcycle engines coming from Logan's end of the line. She took the phone from her ear just as she slammed the door shut.

Luckily, Aaron didn't see it.

Logan looked up to see Weevil and his gang riding down the street looking as menacing as they possibly could. He could tell they were looking for a fight.

"Well, well, well." Weevil said as he took of his helmet and put the kickstand up on his bike. "What do we have here?" He cracked his knuckles. "Guess what pretty boy. I am going to hurt you so bad you are gonna be wishing you never even _knew_ Lilly. Let alone laid a hand on her."

"You guys have got it all wrong," he started to say but then he heard a muffled scream from the other end of the phone.

A familiar voice echoed in his ears. A voice that he had heard in the lowest parts of his life. A voice that made him feel like he was worthless. A voice that caused him so much pain. A voice that sounded so eerily angry that it gave him shivers. "Where are my tapes?" he shouted to Veronica. He heard her sobbing "I don't know. I don't know." He hung up not wanting Aaron to hear the motorcycles from his side of the line.

"Okay, Weevil, I'm gonna sum it up for yah because there's something that I have to do right now….so….here's Lilly's death in a nutshell. She was sleeping with not only you and me but my father too. He had camcorders set up in my guesthouse and she stole the tapes. He found out and…you guessed it…killed her." Weevil stared at him in disbelief so Logan tossed him his cell phone. "You don't believe me…well…listen to this."

Logan got in to his car and slammed the door, while turning back to Weevil and his gang after he was sure he'd heard the entire message. "Aaron knows she has the tapes, and I think she's in trouble. Are you gonna help me or not?"

"I owe V, and I want to make your pops pay." He threw him the cell phone and started up his bike. "Lead the way."

A/N: So…..what do you think? REVIEW! The next chapter will be better. Here's a taste: instead of Keith finding Veronica, Logan does. : ) I wish it could have been that way in the real season finale : (.


	2. The Fight

A/N: Okay, this is chapter 2 of "If Only She Had Left a Message"! I hope you enjoy and if you don't either way leave a nice long review explaining why or why not…..or a short one saying "AWESOME!" or "SUCKED!" I really don't care….BTW I LOVEEE all the reviews! I got more than I EVER expected to get for one chapter of a story! I appreciate it soooo much! They make my day!

() 

Logan hastily dialed Veronica home number from his cell and held the phone, his hands shaking, to his ear. The only thing keeping him from breaking down completely in the face of this danger was the determination of saving someone he truly loved….if he got there fast enough. Weevil and his gang were still following him as he speed towards the Kane House. Hopefully, Veronica father would be able to give him more specific directions.

"Hello?" Keith Mars' voice questioned through the phone.

"Hi, Mr. Mars its Logan. I just got a call from Veronica. I know about the tapes, but from what I heard my 'dad' does too. I think she might be in trouble." He practically shouted so worried he was about to burst.

"What! Where is she right now?"

Logan was frustrated. He didn't have time for him to act all 'fatherly'. "I was hoping you could tell me. She always complains about the bugs that you put on her car and phone."

"Of course, let me get my gear out." Logan heard a rustle and he could feel his heart hammering in his throat.

"According to this her car is unmoving on Archibald Ave. down the street from the Kane's. I'll be right there to back you up."

"No," he said as he made a sharp left turn on a side street shocking the riders behind him "There's no point. I'm closer. All you can do is call the police so if we do take care of Aaron there'll be somewhere for him to go." And with that he hung up the phone not bothering with being polite.

() 

"HELP! Somebody help me, please!" Veronica shouted into the glass door. Her leg was twisted from the crash and she knew that there was no way she could run from Aaron. She had shivers and her hands and legs were shaking so badly she could barely hold herself up. Her thoughts were completely fogged by the palpable heart wrenching fear that she felt knowing that she could die at the hands of the man who had brutally murdered Lilly; she was acting purely on instinct.

A burst of hope ran up her spine when she saw the lights of the two-story house flicker on. It was like the light of a savior. She was nearly in hysterics as she ran towards the door, but it was short lived as Aaron's face peered through the glass his face contorted in rage and frustration: almost as if this were all one big waste of time; not her life in his hands. Veronica didn't even have time to scream when his hand went flying through the glass towards her face. If she passed out of terror or was knocked unconscious by the blow of his hard fist…she would never know.

() 

A warm smell…but she couldn't quite place its source. It smelt of a fire in a cabin among a laughing family. It smelt just like the 7/11 across the street from the gas station in her home town….gas. Gas? She opened her eyes and blinked, trying desperately to clear the fog from her mind. _Where am I? _She asked herself glancing around the seemingly abandoned backyard of someone who obviously didn't care about their belongings. Then in the form of harsh ropes tightening around her stomach and arms, she came back to reality.

"Hello Veronica. Are you awake? Time to go to school!" Aaron's mock caring voice asked. She moved to grab for him, hoping to scratch his eyes out, kick him, do anything necessary to escape, but found that she was tightly bound to a cold metal pole, and as if that wasn't bad enough Aaron had an open bottle of gas next to his foot.

"What do you want from me?" she begged him desperately.

"Hmmm….What do you think? I want my damn tapes!" he shouted.

She gathered up her courage "You're a _murder_. I'm _not_ going to let you get away with that! You'll never get those tapes!" In a flash the back of his hand had risen and nearly collided with her cheek, but just as quickly as the rage had come to his face, it reseeded. He showed the trademark Echoll's grin and placed his hand gently against her cheek. She squirmed away, trying her best to turn her head.

"Not nearly as good as Lilly…but…I could learn to live with short blond hair. I can't blame Logan for dating you. You do have some…assets." His smile turned into a harsh sneer. She wanted to throw up. "I would do it you know. Murder, rape, it's all the same in my book." Aaron reached for some duct tape and slapped it across her mouth. Veronica let the tears fall freely now. "If you're ready to give me back what's mine nod your head. I suggest that option because you don't want me to explain the second one. And if that doesn't work then I always have this." He paused motioning to the bottle of gas, and she fought the nerves in her neck form moving. _You've come this far. Lilly needs to be able to rest in peace. She can't unless he is in jail..._

"No? Okay, then…" He ran his hand down her side, slowly, tauntingly. "Now?" he asked. He was at her waist, but then he drifted lower until her was at her thigh. "This is your last chance, Veronica." She remained still, but the fear was still in her eyes. In slow-motion he reached towards her belt buckle and undid it. She screamed and stomped her feet as much as she could but her cries where muffled by the tape. Despite her efforts, he began to lift up her shirt.

"Get away from her," Logan's voice came echoing from across the yard. He stood there, fists clenched, with Weevil standing next to him.

Veronica's heart swelled and she blinked her eyes: just to be sure she wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.

"Ahh, Logan, come here to save the day? I don't think so." Aaron pulled a pocket knife from his boot, flicked it open, and held it to Veronica's throat. Logan made a move to inch closer, "Do it and she dies." Aaron said. It was not an empty threat.

"What? Daddy Dearest are you afraid to fight me? Don't want to break your million dollar face?" Logan snapped back. He was relieved when Aaron took the knife from her pale neck and took three steps towards him. It was nice to know he could still manipulate him.

"Make him leave," he demanded motioning to Weevil. "And if he calls the cops I _will_ kill her. This is between you and me."

Logan looked at Weevil. Weevil seemed hesitant, almost as if something was just within his grasp only to be taken away from him at the last minute. He clapped Logan on the shoulder, and looked directly into Veronica's eyes "If he doesn't kick his ass, you know I will. Be careful V." Hands in his pockets, he walked ruefully from the battleground.

Logan and Aaron squared off circling slowly in the same direction. "You slept with my damn girlfriend. Were you having another mid-life crisis?" Logan taunted.

"Ohh…" he said dreamily "Was she a good piece of ass, but she got nosey, and you know I don't like nosey people." He looked at Veronica, "This one's nice too, but the same problem. You have a thing for girls who stick their noses where they don't belong."

Logan's face turned a deep scarlet. "Shut-up! Don't you _ever_ talk about Lilly or Veronica!"

"A little touchy are we?" He laughed at him. "Shall I go on? Would you like detailed descriptions of our encounters? Here's a summary: Lilly used to scream my name until her throat was sore, then she'd leave to go scream yours."

Logan lunged at him reaching for his neck. Aaron punched him the face, pushing him backward into a trash bin. He got up and wiped a drop of crimson blood sliding down his chin. He came in swinging, and once again was knocked to the ground by the man who was supposed to be his father. Aaron kicked him in his stomach while he was on all-fours on the hard ground. "I tried to be your friend, but noooo..." Kick. "You didn't want to respect your father." Kick. "Now you're probably wishing you'd kept your big mouth shut."

He kneeled on him leaving Logan, who was now on his back, breathless, and dug his forearm into his neck. "Mmmoogan" Veronica murmured helplessly. He was suffocating. "_All that matters is you." He told me_. She thought_. "I can't stand that I hurt you when all I want to do is protect you_." _Now it was really going to happen. He's going to die protecting me despite the fact that I stabbed him in the back._

As a final disrespect Aaron came centimeters from Logan's face as he gasped for air and whispered "You'll never win Logan," and he began to laugh. So hard he sounded maniacal, and he continued to laugh on and on. _He's completely insane_ she thought. While he was having his 'evil moment' Logan slowly reached to his right until his fingers where grazing a 2x4. He only had seconds left. Finally, as if it was a miracle, he was able to swing the board around until it slammed into Aaron's joyful face. He was bleeding profusely and now had a deep gash in his once handsome face.

"Bastard," Logan muttered and charged ramming him past Veronica and into the fence behind to her; Logan's foot accidentally knocking over the gallon of gasoline still laying there. It spilt in a circle around her feet, not touching them.

Now Logan was on top of his father, punching him in the stomach over, and over again. You could never tell from where Veronica was tied, but up close tears were rolling down his face. All the anger he had held on to for so long, the fury at Lilly's death, finding out that she had cheated on him, just….everything, exploded out. He wiped the tears away angrily. "HOW COULD YOU!" he shouted. "I _loved_ her! And you took her away from me!"

_Oh god, he's going to kill him. _She could picture Logan in a small cell doing time for not using "the minimal force necessary". She pushed the tape off as much as possible with her tongue. "Stop Logan! LOGAN! Logan please, he's not worth it!" she screamed.

He turned to her, and his eyes widened. He stared down at his fists and stood up shocked. Aaron laid there unmoving on the hard ground. _I've become my father. _He thought, disgusted that he had hurt a person so much (even if that person was a murderer). He ripped the remainder of the tape of her mouth and she signed in relief. As he did so Aaron, who had put his acting skills to good use and pretended to be unconscious, noticed the gasoline that Veronica was unknowingly standing in. He snickered, and pulled out his lighter….

A/N: Yes, a cliffie. Duh duh duh! I swear I will update A.S.A.P. (Within a couple days) I just wanted to get at least this much up. Now don't you hear the review button _calling your name_...Button: _(Insert your name here)_…. Button: _(Insert your name here)_… Question: Did that sound cliché because he came to save her? Because that's not what I was going for.


	3. Pulse

A/N: _I am soooooo sorry for taking so long to update_.! I swear it wasn't my fault. I was grounded from the internet for something I didn't do. Okay, this is the third and final chapter of "If Only She Had Left a Message" I hope you liked the ending and thanks for reading! I love yah all! P.S. I am going to write another Veronica Mars story soon. It is a V/L angsty romance one-shot. You will love it!

To the Reviewers:

Totally Riddick Obsessed: Thanks, that's exactly what I was going for. I always hated Aaron.

Pequenop: Sorry, but I didn't want to finish the story all in one chapter!

Alicia Jo: See above

Kristen: Don't worry Weevil will have a part. ; )

Miss Lindsay: OMG that was so nice of you to say. I think my head is going to explode now. LOL.

Tp96: I always wanted to end with a cliffie, but I never had the opportunity! BTW you like all the shows I like! Tru, Angel, Buffy, Charmed, Veronica. It's sooo weird!

Lisa: I'm glad you like the story, but about the grammar and spelling mistakes-I reread the entire chapter and there were no spelling mistakes (according to my spellchecker), and as for grammar mistakes: I didn't notice any, my Microsoft Word didn't notice any, and no other reviewers saw any. Not to mention the fact that a lot of them are added in when you go to post the story. So if you would like to e-mail me with specifics I would greatly appreciate it. : ). I'm a freak about mistakes!

Epona9009: I'm sorry : (. I had to keep you guys interested. Now I feel guilty. I LOVE LOGAN! HE'S SO HOT!

Where were we?…..Oh yes……

Aaron, who had put his acting skills to good use and pretended to be unconscious, noticed the gasoline that Veronica was unknowingly standing in. He snickered, and pulled out his lighter. Logan looked at him and then at the ground around Veronica's feet. He shouted and moved towards him, but did not have time to stop him. In one swift movement he had flung the lighter causing a ring of fire to spring up. Luckily, Logan had escaped the blaze.

"LOGAN!" Veronica screamed as the flames threatened to engulf her. They were less than a foot away and she could feel the heat emitting from them. She tried to squirm away but she was still securely tied. _Am I going to die this way?_

Logan had only seconds to find out what to do and quickly realized that if he had any chance of getting her out of there than he was going to get burned, badly. He took a deep breath and jumped through the fire, not caring about the intense heat. He grabbed the pocket knife his grandfather (on his mother's side) had given him and sawed carefully through the ropes. It took almost thirty seconds. His back was still getting burned the entire time. He picked Veronica up and carried her as far as he could away.

He laid sprawled out face down on the ground his back still on fire, exhausted from all the smoke he had inhaled. Veronica sputtered, saw Logan burning and screamed reaching for a tarp to extinguish the flames.

"Logan, Logan please please wake up." She shook him lightly as his head lay in her lap, and his eyes opened weakly. His skin was bright red and puffy and he tried desperately to speak. She noted that he was in direct contact with the flames more than twice as long as she was. "I was there this time," he managed to sputter then closed his eyes.

She thought back to a time that seemed unreal. _"Then Lilly wouldn't have been alone that day. I would have been there."_

"Yes Logan, you saved my life." He gave a feeble smile then laid his head back unmoving. "Please don't die," she begged "I need you Logan." She cried on him for a couple of seconds then came back to herself, and remembered the fire. She wiped her tears and tried to find his pulse, but she couldn't find it. She felt around his wrist, eyes open wide. She dropped her ear to his chest, nearly in hysterics. "Oh God! Where is it?" Then she remembered the third place to check for a heartbeat. Her hands trembling, she reached for his throat. She could still see the marks Aaron had left there. Finally, she felt the steady thumping of his beating heart. She nearly cried in relief.

She gently dragged him as far as she could away from the flames, and moved a couple of plastic boxes between him and the fire to form a kind of barricade. "I'm going for help." She was half way across the yard when a thought hit her, and she turned to where Aaron had fallen.

He was gone.

Aaron crawled down the driveway towards Logan's parked car. He stopped to spit out a mouth full of blood, and pulled the keys from the visor. All he could think about was getting out of this town. He might even have to leave the country because there was no doubt in his mind that Logan and that gangster boy were not the only people that Veronica had told about the tapes.

Then he heard motorcycles.

_Shit_. He turned around so fast he nearly got whiplash. A huge motorcycle gang was riding down the street lead by Weevil. He tried to start the car, but it wouldn't turn. Weevil got off his bike and held up the car battery wires, he looked smug. "Now, where do you think you're going?" he said. Weevil grabbed him by the neck and pulled him out of the car. "You screwed the wrong girl. You ruined everything you rich little punk. Did it make you feel better about yourself you worthless scumbag!" He pulled out brass knuckles and punched him in the side of the face. "You're going to hell, and I'm going to help you get there faster."

Aaron crawled pathetically on the ground and started coughing up blood. "It…it was an accident. She was going to ruin me. What would you have done?" Weevil put his boot into his back and pushed his face into the gravel.

"You're a filthy rat." He said and spit in his face. "Come on boys bring the ropes." Two of the teenagers stepped forward and tied two ropes around Weevil's bike and then to Aaron's ankles. "Let's go for a ride."

One of Weevil's gang members looked nervous "Are we going to kill him?" he asked shyly. And for once Weevil actually thought about it.

"No, he doesn't deserve the privilege of dieing." He looked down at him. "We'll drop him off at the sheriff's department, but only when he's learned his lesson." He got on his bike. "Don't ride any faster than twenty miles an hour. He's gotta last."

The sound of Aaron's screams of protest filled the night air as he was dragged by his feet across the harsh road.

Veronica felt so alone and scared, but now it was her turn to save Logan. He needed an ambulance and fresh oxygen or he would die of smoke inhalation. Not to mention his 2nd degree burns. Her legs felt like they would give out, and all she wanted to do was be home in her bed. _Why do rich people have to live so far away form their neighbors? _She thought angrily after nearly three minutes of half-running up the abandoned road. Eventually, she reached the Kane Estate (the nearest house), and slammed her fists against the door. Duncan, coincidentally enough, was the unlucky Kane to answer the door.

"Veronica? Oh my god. What happened to you?" he asked seeing her black eye and the ash she was covered in.

"We don't have much time. Call the ambulance and the fire department. Tell them the address of the house down the street. I'll tell you the rest later."

"Veronica, just come inside and sit down." He said worried and confused. He grabbed her elbow to bring her in.

"No!" she shouted and pulled away. "Just call 911!"

Sensing the urgency of the situation he ran to the phone.

They managed to get the fire under control within an hour, and Logan was taken to the hospital immediately. Now Veronica sat beside his bed hours afterward, unable to leave him. A respirator was humming in the background of her thoughts. When the doctor walked in she jumped out of her chair "Is he going to be okay?" she asked desperately.

"He burned about 30 percent of his body," he replied solemnly. He will have to have extensive treatment and he will live, but unfortunately their will be a lot of scarring." She sighed in guilt. Images of Logan with burn scars covering his back and legs flashed before her eyes, bringing her on the verge of tears. She would have started sobbing right then and there, but then Logan moved his finger and blinked his eyes quickly. She turned to him gently saying "Logan? Logan can you hear me?" She turned back to the worried doctor "Can we have some privacy?"

He looked regretful, but he gave her a small smile and said "But if anything happens call the nurse or myself. Alright?"

She didn't even look at him before he left the room. She knelt by his bed and held his hand gently and when she felt the slight pressure of him squeezing her fingers she sighed in relief. He was in pain, and she could tell. Even the slightest movement caused him to murmur in discomfort. No one would ever know the guilt she was feeling at that very moment knowing that he could have died to save her. He repeated the words he had said to her earlier that night. "I was there this time. I did it." He sputtered once again. "I couldn't save her but….but I got to save you. Are you going to leave me too? Please don't go away." He was speaking like a child, and she knew it was the medication talking, but the words still touched her heart.

"You did amazing Logan! I've never seen anything braver in my life!" He voice shook and finally cracked, broken. She wiped away a tear sliding down her beaten face; she had to be strong for him when he needed her. "Guess what? You're going to be fine and in a couple of days, maybe a week or two, you can go home." She smiled at him, but the mention of 'home' seemed to bring his un-medicated self closer to the surface, and he seemed more alert.

"I…I saw him hurt you! Did…did he touch you before I could stop him?" He asked, his weak voice shaking with rage and frustration. "If he doesn't go to prison, I will hurt him so badly he'll wish he was."

_Is it selfish that this makes me want him to be better even more? _

"Yes, but only a little bit. If you hadn't of come he would have gotten a lot further. I'm…I'm so glad you came," she whispered. She let her head fall on the soft hospital bed, the soft hum of the respirator lulling her to sleep.

She kneeled over his beaten body. He was cold, too cold. She desperately felt his face, only to find that it was just as frozen. She wanted to shake him in desperation, to force him to be alive again. _Is he really dead?_ Slowly Veronica reached for his wrist. The "_thump thump_" made her sigh in relief, but all too soon his pulse slowed. Slower and slower until it stopped short.

"No! Logan please. Come back." She screamed, stirring from her disturbing nightmare only to find that she was shaking and dripping with sweat.

"Veronica, Veronica. It's okay. I'm right here." Logan's voice echoed to her. She shook the fog from her mind and focused on his face. His eyes were no longer glazed, and that told her the medication dosage had been lightened. He gently smoothed his hair down with his hand.

She wiped a bead of perspiration from her forehead. "Logan, I had the worst dream."

He turned a little more towards her. "What happened in it?"

His concern touched her, so she was hesitant to reveal her nightmare. "I…I dreamed that you died." He looked taken aback. She tried to explain. "I was holding your wrist," she said as quickly as possible. "Then your pulse…it just faded away. I tried to find it. I really did, but it was just…gone."

He held out his hand, which had remained unburned, and she held it anxiously. Salty tears fell on to his palm as she covered it with her face, then grasped it tightly. "Listen to it." He said gently. "It's still there. I promise."

She placed her fingers on his wrist, and felt a flood of relief. The steady beat reassured her. She let her head fall once again on the bed, but she didn't take her hand away. "I really thought I had lost you," said sadly.

"I know me too." She looked up at him. "You can hold onto my wrist. It…It might help you sleep. You know? Since you're having nightmares about it disappearing." He flashed her a small smile.

She yawned still exhausted. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I dunno, but it's been more than a couple of hours. I was only awake to catch some news of what's been going on."

She nearly laid her head back down, but suddenly a thought occurred to her. "Did they arrest your dad?" She almost shouted.

Now there was the genuine smile that she had missed so much in the time she had avoided him. His teeth shined at her and the creases at the top of his lips reached his eyes. "Well…..it seems that when he ran for it Weevil caught him on the road. Now being the good citizen that he is Weevil offered to give him a ride down to the station." He paused and had a look of pride. "While tied by his ankles to the back of his bike."

She gasped. "Really? And Aaron didn't have them arrested?"

"Nope too scared. He knows he's going to prison and _everyone _knows that Weevil has connections in all the local ones."

"Is he going to have a trial?" She asked quickly without stopping to breathe.

"Yes. On about a billion counts including- sleeping with a minor, first degree murder, kidnapping, attempted rape, and attempted murder (in that order). You name it and he's been busted for it." He seemed content about the whole situation.

"Are…are you okay? I mean you seem so laid back about everything that's happened." She murmured hesitantly.

"How can I not be when the man who killed Lilly is going to jail and I never have to see him again. Not to mention the fact that you aren't ignoring me anymore." He pushed her hair back so it looked a little bit neater. "Are you done with your interrogation?" She nodded sleepily. "Now you have two options: you can leave, go home and tell your dad what the hell is going on." She opened her mouth to argue. "_Or_... you can rest."

"I'll take option B. I don't want to leave you here alone." And in that moment she realized that even if she had wanted to go home there was no one that could have taken care of Logan in her place. He had no one. Duncan had abandoned him (if his opinion had changed in light of recent events she didn't know), Trina was almost positively on her father's side, he had turned away from almost all the rest of his friends including Dick and Beaver, and his mother was dead. "I'll never leave you alone okay?"

He seemed puzzled. "Why the sudden commitment?"

"Just trust me." And with that she let her head fall onto his hand; her ear on his wrist and allowed the tiredness that she had felt creeping up on her during the entire interrogation over come her_. Thump. Thump. Thump. _

_God I love that sound. _

A/N: Sooooooo how was the ending? Did you like it? You have no idea how scared I am that I totally lost all my readers with that ending. Thank you soooo much for sticking with this story! I really appreciate it and I appreciate it even more when you review ; ). Once again sorry it took so long. I blame my mother.


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